Remove dried latex paint from wood trim. If scraping ragging and heating dont do diddly youll need to resort to a solvent to break down the paint. Dampen a clean rag with water for latex based paints or mineral spirits for oil based paints and wipe the. The alcohol itself does not damage the varnish. Step 1 scrape dried latex paint using a spatula or the edge of a credit card.
It is still finished nice but when the previous owner had repainted the walls they dripped paint on most of the wood trim. How do i remove paint from wood trimwe recently bought a 100 year old home that has all the original woodwork. The ideal time to remove paint is before it has had time to dry but it is also possible to remove dried latex paint from wood. Soak a ragnot a towel but a microfiber rag or similarwith the solvent and rub carefully so you dont harm the wood finish by mistake says macmillan.
For latex drips try denatured alcohol or a product like goof off both available in paint and hardware stores. Dip a soft clean rag into a small dish of mineral spirits. Remove paint from trim and molding use this handy guideand an even handier toolto restore the clean lines of wood trim that has been gunked up by layers of paint jobs from decades past. Oil based paint will continue clinging to the wood if you use plain water so wipe it away with a soft rag dabbed in mineral spirits.
Remove fresh oil based paint with mineral spirits. I want to remove the splattered paint without removing the finish on the trim or removing the stain. If the paint is still wet it can often be wiped off with a damp towel but the longer the paint has been on the varnished wood the more likely it is to lit off the varnish.